You have to look at it this way: With the military that 8 bucks an hour goes a long way. You don't have to pay for food if you like theirs, or housing. And honestly you can find most of what you want on base so you don't even have to have a car. And as you ascend ranks (and if you get combat pay) you get paid good money. The odds of getting injured are decent, but of dying is really low.